THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa track and field team opens the 2018 indoor track and field season Saturday hosting the Hawkeye Invitational. The meet is begins at 10 a.m. (CT) with the high jump. Running events commence at 12 p.m. with the 3,000 meters.

FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow the meet on live results page on hawkeyesports.com/tracklive. Results will also be posted on the team’s official twitter account @iowaxc_tf and live video of the meet is available on hawkeyesports.com.

HAWKEYES IN THE RANKINGS
The University of Iowa men’s and women’s track and field teams are ranked in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) preseason poll, released Jan. 10. The women are ranked 34th in the nation, their highest preseason ranking in program history, while the men are ranked 32nd in the nation.

Brown, a native of Upland, California, owns the 200-meter school record indoor and outdoor and is tied for the 100-meter record. Brown won Big Ten titles in the 200 meters during the indoor and outdoor seasons and went on to finish fifth at the NCAA Indoor championships with a time of 22.92.

Harris, a native of Auburn, Washington, holds the indoor 400-meter school record and placed runner-up in the 400-meters at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. Harris was part of the 1,600-meter relay that broke the indoor and outdoor school records and placed fifth and third at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, respectively.

Brown and Harris join Ohio State’s Nick Gray as the only male or female representatives of the Big Ten in the 200 or 400 meters.

Hofacker, Frye, and Ogwo were named All-Americans for the first time in their careers.

BROWN’S THE ONE TO BEAT
Senior Brittany Brown returns to the track for her final season at Iowa after capturing the 200 -meter Big Ten Indoor title. In addition, Brown set the school record in the event, running a 22.79 in the preliminary round. The Upland, California, native also finished runner-up in the 60-meters with a time of 7.39, a time that ranks second all-time in Iowa history.

THOMAS LEAPS AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION
Senior Jahisha Thomas enters the 2018 indoor season as Iowa’s school record-holder in the long jump (20-11 3/4, 6.39 meters) and triple jump (42-8, 13.00 meters). Thomas was named a second team All-American in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships, placing 13th overall.

In July, Thomas set an outdoor personal best at the United Kingdom World Team Trials in the triple jump with a mark of 13.25 meters (43-5 3/4).

WERSKEY ENTERS AS NEW THROWING COACH
Eric Werksey was hired as Iowa’s throwing coach in August 2017 after two seasons at California State University Northridge. Werskey aided throwers Brianna Cueva and Daniel Swarbrick to Big West Outdoor titles in 2016 while Dawaun Lucas and Zachary Rosales placed second and third, respectively, in the shot put. After graduating from Auburn, Werksey trained at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California, where he worked with some of the best throwers in the world. In college, Werskey was a three-time All-American in the shot put.

BIG TEN’S TOP RETURNING HURDLER
Junior Chris Douglas enters the 2018 indoor season as the Big Ten’s top returning 60-meter hurdler based on last year’s times. Douglas ran a personal best 7.82 at the Iowa Open last season to rank third in the conference behind seniors Aaron Mallet and Illinois’ David Kendziera. At the 2017 Big Ten Indoor Championships, Douglas finished fifth.

IOWA SIGNS 25 FOR 2018
The Hawkeyes announced the addition of 25 signees for the 2018-19 season on Nov. 11. The class includes 14 women and 11 men, including 10 from Iowa.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Iowa has 110 athletes on its roster in 2018. There are 40 freshmen, 32 sophomores, 21 juniors, and 17 seniors. Of the 110 student-athletes, 42 are from Iowa followed by 20 from Illinois. The team also has seven international athletes.

RETURNING NCAA LEADERS
Iowa returns three events and three 1,600-meter relay members that finished 2017 inside the country’s top 10. Brittany Brown finished 2017 fourth in the country in the 200 meters (22.79), Mar’yea Harris was fifth in the 400 meters (45.75), O’Shea Wilson was eighth in the long jump (7.86 meters, 25-feet 9 1/2 inches), and Harris, Collin Hofacker, and DeJuan Frye were seventh in the 1,600-meter relay (3:04.93).

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